petrochemicals

1 March 2018

Ingredient Review Mixa body care for sensitive skin
I'm seeing many rave reviews for Mixa body lotions so I thought I would take a closer look at the ingredients.  Mixa list all their ingredients online so nothing to hide and I've used their website as my point of reference.

The tag line "Created in a French pharmacy in 1924. Inspired by traditional apothecary ingredients" is an interesting one when looking at the formulations. For me the word "apothecary" inspires imagery of herbal treatments and Mixa is far from that. The "Our Ingredients" page doesn't give the full picture, it simply lists the "nice" ingredients - allantoin, cold cream, coriander oil, oat milk, panthenol, urea and vitamin E. 

Dig a little deeper and you'll find full ingredients listed on individual products. Straight away I can see why this is an affordable brand as the top ingredients across the range are water, paraffin, propylene glycol, dimethicone. There are few natural ingredients - shea butter, oat milk, sunflower seed oil. Dimethicone and mineral oils coat the skin, providing the slip and silky feeling but they offer no healing benefits. Your dry skin will be banished whilst using these lotions but once you stop the problem returns because you are not treating the underlying condition. 

I noticed the phrase "Dermatologically tested skincare for dry and sensitive skin" and if you didn't know already it holds very little value.  It simply means that the product was reviewed by a dermatologist and like the term "hypoallergenic" it is not regulated. It certainly doesn't guarantee it will suit your skin.

I appreciate cost is an important factor and some people won't look to natural and organic skincare because they make an assumption about price. However there are affordable natural brands as mentioned in my article Natural and Organic Skincare if you are on a budget - under £10. If you experience sensitive and dry skin then shea butter or carrier oils can be an effective and inexpensive option. Look out for independent brands who are not spending money on marketing and fancy packaging so can keep their costs down. The RRP on Mixa body lotions is £6.49 and brands like Jason (£7.49), Organic Surge (£7.95), Sukin (£9.95) and Handmade Naturals (£7.95) cost a little extra but you'll probably use less product in the long run. 

My intention with this article is to highlight that it can be worthwhile paying attention to ingredients. Of course I champion natural products because I believe they offer alternative benefits. For many years I suffered terribly with dry and flaky skin and there was a noticeable difference when I switched to green beauty.

Sarah x

Disclaimer - Prices correct at time of publication

1 April 2014

skincare ingredient list
Propylene Glycol can be found in personal care products and food. It is an ingredient I chose to avoid because of the links to skin irritation and contact dermatitis. I am fully aware that any ingredient, natural or synthetic, has the potential to cause a reaction. It will depend on how our individual bodies react and the quantity applied. As someone who suffers with eczema, I make it my mission to avoid certain ingredients because I have to do what is right for my skin. Others may avoid Propylene Glycol because it is a product of the petrochemical industry and we have to consider it is an industry which is unsustainable and polluting the environment. 

Propylene Glycol comes in more than one formulation, industrial and pharmaceutical and because of this it has various uses. A quick Google search will bring up some scary claims and a connection to antifreeze. Propylene Glycol is commonly used in engine coolants and antifreeze solutions, however it is used as a safer replacement to ethylene glycol which is toxic and dangerous. Whilst there may be scaremongering tactics circulating the internet, I am still not comfortable knowing Propylene Glycol is used commercially to defrost airplanes. What benefit could that possibly offer my skin?

When it comes to skincare, propylene glycol is used as a moisturising agent (aka humectant) and it is a cheap filler ingredient. One natural alternative is glycerine which can be sourced from soya bean or coconut but it may also be derived from animals or synthetically produced. My research leads me to believe that glycerin is a more effective humectant than propylene glycol so that supports my decision to avoid it. There is another natural alternative called Propanediol Glycol (Chemical name: Propan-1,3-diol) which is derived from vegetable sources (corn) making it more eco-friendly in comparison to Propylene Glycol. It does have EcoCert approval and is considered safe for cosmetics and food.

The quantity of propylene glycol in cosmetic products is small and it is not considered a risk. However, I look at the bigger picture and mainstream products contain a cocktail of undesirable ingredients which from my perspective increases the risk of allergic reactions. My skin responds better to natural ingredients and that gives me justification to continue using skincare which is considered natural, green and clean.

What are your thoughts and feeling about the use of Propylene Glycol in cosmetics/skincare and food?

Sarah x

22 February 2014

Unfortunately, I feel the need to start this blog post with a little disclaimer. What you are about to read is MY personal opinion. I have two brands on my radar which make me raise my eyebrows.

Arbonne is an MLM business which means they have representatives selling their products. At the moment I'm approached on a regular basis. My first instincts about this brand is they fall under the umbrella of "green washing". It is very difficult to find ingredients on their website and I've never managed to get a representative to give me a full ingredients list. I did a little digging a few months back and came across a blog post by Meghan Telpner and I recommend you read it. It was published last year and is the closest I have come to finding out a little more insight into this brand without having to accept samples or buy products.

Despite sending one rep a list of ingredients I avoid (for ethical and allergy reasons), the response I received was intriguing "We have just been awarded the vegan logo on all of our products if this was a scam I don't think they would be doing that. The products are dermatologically tested, and free from parabens". There seems to be a distinct lack of understanding and I find it really sad. A Vegan approved product does not make it natural or organic and neither does leaving out parabens. From my dealings with this particular representative clearly they did not understand the products they were selling.

Now let me focus on Xenca who are getting a bit of attention from the Green Community. Xenca talk the talk on their website - "Our beauty products are free from parabens, petrochemicals, glycols and synthetic fragrances." but then in the next paragraph - "Our ingredients are as natural as possible – in most cases 100% natural. However, certain ingredients, due to quality, efficacy and processing requirements, can be enhanced by substances that are synthesised in the laboratory"
big bang sheldon
Xenca do not hide ingredients for their cosmetic products but I can't say the same for the skincare. It does raise an interesting question which I would like to put forward, at what point do you draw the line when it comes to your ingredient ethos? If a brand has, for argument sake, 9 out of 10 "clean" products but they have a rogue one among the mix, would you boycott them? Personally, I find it extremely frustrating for a company to ditch their natural ethos when it suits them and I am not willing to support them when they do this. Hopefully with advances in technology brands could have the opportunity to re-formulate. 

I welcome your opinions on these brands but please keep it civil :-)

Sarah x

30 July 2012

This is the second time I have been approached by a French Skin care brand. Obviously not all skin care is created equal but once again I have discovered a brand that is not quite as it claims. Corine de Farme have started to launch in the UK. They have a partnership with Disney and launched four baby toiletries  with dual branding into Sainsbury's, Ocado, Boots and Amazon.  They have also launched into Sainsbury's with feminine care products.

Here's an extract from the email I received - A minimum 95% natural ingredients, Paraben free, Alcohol free, Phenoxyethanol free, Phthalate free, (allergen-free) fragrance. All products are also hypoallergenic & dermatologically tested. Clearly we do not claim to be 100% natural but we do strive to make our products with as high a natural ingredient content as possible. Although Phenoxyethanol is a natural ingredient we avoid using it where possible as it can also be a cause of irritation or adverse reaction.

I realised that I had looked at the feminine products in Sainsbury's the other week. I remember picking it up because of the free from ingredient list then promptly returning it to the shelf after discovering it contains SLES. Sodium lauryl ether sulphate (aka sodium laureth sulphate SLES) or sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) are both inexpensive foaming agents. Sodium laureth sulfate is often regarded as less irritating than sodium lauryl sulfate. Both dry out your skin and are considered carcinogenic (the jury is out on the later information is conflicting).  Often you will see a product say it is free from SLS but it will contain SLES. Personally I avoid both because I see no difference between the two when it comes to my skin and eczema.

I follow Mademoiselle Nature and I asked her for some advice.  She confirmed my suspicions. She does not believe the 95% natural claims and questions the preservative system used to replace parabens and phenoxyethanol.

I googled Corine de Farme ingredients and Boots wesbite popped up.  The following ingredients are for the Corine de Farme Disney Winnie the Pooh lotion. I don't know about you but when a product claims to include ingredients from "natural origin" I expect to see ingredients that I would find outside my own front door. The only ingredient from nature that I can see is Calendula. Aqua; Glycerin; Paraffinum Liquidum; Cetearyl Alcohol; Phenoxyethanol; Glyceryl Stearate; PEG-100 Stearate; Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer; 1;2-Hexanedol; Caprylyl Glycol; Parfum; Sodium Hydroxide; Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract; Glucose; Tropolone; Sodium Benzoate; Potassium Sorbate; Caramel


Here are the ingredients for the body wash from the same baby range taken from Boots website. 
Aqua; Sodium Laureth Sulphate; Cocamidopropyl betaine; Sodium Chloride; Glycerine; PEG-200; Hydrogenated Glyceryl Palmate; Sorbitol; Citric Acid; PEG-7; Glyceryl Cocoate; Sodium Benzoate; Parfum; Potassium Sorbate; Sodium Hydroxide


The Intimate Care Shower Cream can be found on Sainsbury's grocery website and the ingredients are listed as Aqua, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Chloride, Glycerin, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Parfum, PEG-200 Hydrogenated Glyceryl Palmate, Lactic Acid, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium Benzoate, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Allantoin, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Jasminum Officinale Flower Extract, Sodium Citrate.

There are a number of ingredients in these products that are associated with allergies. If you would like to learn more simply search them on EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database. For me, Corine de Farme joins my list of faux naturals alongside Sanex, Lush, La Roche Posey and Yves Rocher.

30 May 2012

Are Yves Rocher telling the truth? Are we being Greenwashed?

Updated 31.07.12 - Yves Rocher have been stripped of the leaping bunny logo

You're probably familiar with the brand Yves Rocher as it is successful in Europe and USA. A while ago I was approached by someone representing them with a friendly but bold statement - "I thought you might be just the person to work with as I can see that you are interested in natural and free from products - Yves Rocher have a wide range of organic and natural products and pride themselves on their botanical ethos". 

Personally, I won't accept products without giving consideration to formulations and sadly Yves Rocher do not make that easy since they do not list full ingredients on their website. My response to this situation is to ask the representative for clarification on the following -

Do you have Vegetarian or Vegan approval? What is your policy on Animal Testing? Can you tell me more about your ingredients policy is? For example, do your products contain any of the ingredients listed below: Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS), Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES), Parabens, Mineral oil and petroleum derived ingredients, Polyethylene Glycol (PEG), Artificial Fragrance or Parfum, DEA or TEA (di- or tri-ethanolamine), Phthalates (DBP/DMP/DEP) and Lanolin

I have been waiting for a reply and completely forgot about it until this week when an email finally arrived. The following has been copied straight from the email so if the grammar looks out of place the writer has translated French to English.

"According to the European directive, "products launched on the cosmetic market cannot damage the human health when they are applied in normal or predictable conditions of use". We study all the raw materials entering into our products composition and we realise series of tests on our finished products before their launch on the market. These tests are realised on cell cultures then on human volunteers to confirm that these products are tolerated well. Moreover, our products are no more tested on animals since 1989. 

All our products are conceived from plants directly: we select among more than 1,100 ingredients from plants origins that are studied by our laboratories, each best adapted to the specific cosmetic profits of every product, while defining their just concentration. Also, we always give priority to components from natural origins in our formulas, as long as the efficiency and specifically the safety - of these natural materials are guaranteed. In case they were not entirely guaranteed, we prefer using synthesis ingredients. Finally, we do not use neither aldehyde, triclosan nor lanolin in the formulation of our products. Only two of our products still contain Diethylphtalate used for alcohol distorting: those products are Eau de toilette Plaisirs Nature flavour "raspberry" and the Perfumed Deodorant of the So Elixir Purple perfume (launch 09/2012)" 

It's an honest response but I have to weigh up the contents. I'm not completely against synthetic ingredients as they can serve a purpose e.g preservation but I would still like to know specific ingredients. I decided to do a little digging on the internet and came up with a couple of resources that lead me to believe Yves Rocher formulation can contain parabens, mineral oils and perfume. These are ingredients I am avoiding for a variety of reasons.

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how some brands really don't wish to give away much about formulations. When you can't physically get hold of a product then you become reliant on the information presented online. What brands fail to recognise is that for customers with allergies and sensitive skin, every ingredient is important. I'd spend my entire time returning products if I could never read a full ingredient list. I prefer to work with smaller indie brands who are open to transparency and willing to share their formulations in detail. I do not doubt that Yves Rocher use botanical plant extracts but there are potential fillers (synthetic ingredients) that may be a concern if you have allergies and/or sensitive skin. I will always ask brands questions because I can not take personal risk with my allergies. I hate wastage so would rather not receive products that I can't test and I'm not keen to pass them along to friends/family if I don't personally approve of the formulations.

I'm not comfortable working with Yves Rocher, as I suspect them of being "Fake Natural Skincare" and I would argue a case for potential greenwashing. Why? because they market on green credentials but use ingredients which other natural brands would avoid. Products that are produced on a mass scale and sold around the world are often formulating on filler synthetic ingredients to keep consumer costs low, quality botanical ingredients are not necessarily going to be budget friendly.

Sarah x

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28 September 2011

I will always be attracted to products that claim to help people manage skin conditions such as eczema. I received a free sample of La Roche-Posay Lipikar Baume AP and Lipikar Lait. This was something I had signed up for via the UK National Eczema Society. La Roche-Posay's Lipikar range is marketed to dry, itchy skin and "works in partnership with the skin to decrease the re-occurance of flare-ups in eczema-prone skin". Also free from soap and parabens. They also like to push that they have dermatologist approval.

The biggest hurdle that brands and customers face is that when it comes to eczema prone skin we all have different needs. There will always be products that work for me and not for others. As I have Atopic eczema it's connected to allergies so I scrutinise labels and I'm on the hunt for any ingredient that may trigger a reaction. I'm also looking to treat the itch and soothe overall appearance of my skin condition.

I'm personally disappointed in some of the ingredients in the La Roche-Posay Baume AP and Lait. They contain parfum, paraffin, dimethicone and acetylated lanolin alcohol which are not very appealing to my skin and the plant derivatives are few - shea butter, bisabolol, rapeseed. I strongly believe that any product intended for sensitive or eczema prone skin should be free from perfume. Fragrance is a known trigger so much so that there are 26 fragrance allergens which must be labelled if present at a specific percentage in cosmetics.  Mineral oils (paraffin) and dimethicone are intended to coat the skin and to give product a silky 'slip' for ease of application. If you experience eczema with infection then these ingredient may trap germs in place and offer no healing properties. If you haven't tried it before may I suggest you buy a tub of shea butter and see how you get on, it will be fragrance free and without paraffin. 

If La Roche-Posay works for you then fantastic but I simply wish to demonstrate how I go about choosing products and accessing labels. Always patch test your skincare and in the long term if you can't see an improvement then move on to something else.

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